Courageous Eleven-Year-Old From The Wirral Becomes Inspirational Tom's Trust Brain Tumour Ambassador

WALLASEY, BOROUGH OF WIRRAL, LIVERPOOL CITY REGION.

Brave Eleven-Year-Old From Wallasey In The Liverpool City Region Becomes Brain Tumour Ambassador For Tom's Trust To Inspire Others

Dr Meghan Owens (right) and Polly (left), the brave eleven-year-old from Wallasey on The Wirral becomes brain tumour ambassador to inspire others (Credit: Supplied/Image was provided to The Liverpudlian with permission to share, courtesy of the Publicist on behalf of their client. We make no claim to this content).

Eleven-year-old aspiring ‘hair fairy’ becomes a Young Ambassador for children’s brain tumour charity, Tom's Trust, to inspire others.

Despite being diagnosed with a brain tumour at 14 months old, Polly from Wallasey in the Liverpool City Region, now aged 11, has bravely decided to become a Young Ambassador for a children’s brain tumour charity, Tom’s Trust.

The role will see her support other children and young adults facing a brain tumour diagnosis by sharing her story to raise awareness of childhood brain tumours.

Polly’s Story Of Bravery

Polly, affectionately nicknamed ‘Gumdrops’ by her adoring mother, was diagnosed with a life-changing benign Optical Pathway Glioma almost ten years ago at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. When she was just 12 months old, her mother, Emily, noticed Polly had a turn in her eye. Once this had protruded, the family made an emergency appointment at the GP and optometrists. After being seen to and advised that this was a concern, Polly was referred to Alder Hey for further investigation, where she was given a scan. The oncology department then confirmed that Polly had a brain tumour and needed to start chemotherapy quickly.

Polly had her first round of chemotherapy on Christmas Eve in 2014, before her family arranged for her to have Christmas Day at home. However, by Boxing Day, Polly’s temperature had increased drastically, and she was taken back to Alder Hey, where she was admitted and stayed for a few nights.

The chemotherapy sessions continued for a year until the tumour grew, leading Polly to start a Vinblastine, a chemotherapy medication. At this stage, she had lost her hair and appeared poorly, before beginning to develop Sepsis soon after – thankfully her family got her to hospital in time for it to be treated.

During the next scheduled chemotherapy session, Polly suffered an allergic reaction, so the decision was made to swap her medication to Avastin and Irinotecan for stability.

“Polly is the light of my universe. Everyone who meets her says that she is such a character. Polly feels brave, strong, and ready to embrace her new role. She is very proud to be an ambassador of Tom’s Trust, which is an amazing charity." - Polly’s Mum, Emily.

It was at this time the ordeal began to become confusing for Polly. To help her understand the complex situation, her family had encouraged Polly to name her tumour something silly and light-hearted. Polly, being a fan of the Disney Pixar film Monsters Inc., chose to name the tumour ‘Randal’, the villainous character from the movie. Her intertwined love of the franchise doesn’t stop there, though - when first diagnosed, Polly’s family bought her a ‘Sully’ teddy, who was bigger than her at the time. ‘Sully’ became her companion to every treatment, injection and painful procedure, and Polly still adores him.

When Polly first started her treatment, due to the tumours being located in the optic nerves, her family were told that she was blind in her right eye. She was also diagnosed with precocious puberty at the age of six and, as a result, was started on hormone injections.

The tumour and treatment have also led to a number of other long-term conditions such as trauma induced OCD, autism, ADHD and sensory processing issues.

Polly has now been on treatment for nine years, from 2014 to 2023, and she will continue to have regular scans, and vision checks all her life. Her consultant, whilst optimistic that everything will remain stable, has noted that there would be no other treatment options left in the UK should her condition change, and that further treatment would have to be found in America.

Despite the ups and downs of Polly’s life, she continues to remember the remarkable children and teenagers she met throughout her journey, and who she sadly lost along the way. Every Christmas, Polly’s wish remains the same  - instead of a long list of personal possessions from Santa, she bravely asks that ‘all the children in heaven are to have a very Merry Christmas’.

Brave eleven-year-old, Polly, from Wallasey on The Wirral becomes brain tumour ambassador to inspire others (Credit: Supplied/Image was provided to The Liverpudlian with permission to share, courtesy of the Publicist on behalf of their client. We make no claim to this content).

Amongst family and friends, Polly is described as a ‘kind and caring little girl with a heart of gold’, and who can usually be heard before seen. In the future, Polly aspires towards her dream job, which is to be a ‘hair fairy’ and own a wig business for children who are unable to make it out of the hospital. She plans to call it Silva Thread after her friend who passed away.

“We are delighted to have Polly on board. Polly sharing her story will help so many others feel less alone as they face this devastating diagnosis. We are so grateful.” - Laura Bowditch, Family Liaison Coordinator at Tom’s Trust.

Polly’s Mum, Emily, said: “Polly is the light of my universe. Everyone who meets her says that she is such a character. Polly feels brave, strong, and ready to embrace her new role. She is very proud to be an ambassador of Tom’s Trust, which is an amazing charity."

Emily added: “Tom’s Trust clinical psychologists are always at the end of the phone and always act in the best interests of Polly and the family without judgements. I am truly grateful; without Tom’s Trust this journey would have been even tougher.''

Laura Bowditch, Family Liaison Coordinator at Tom’s Trust, said: “We are delighted to have Polly on board. Polly sharing her story will help so many others feel less alone as they face this devastating diagnosis. We are so grateful.”

Polly and her family are currently supported by a Tom’s Trust clinical psychologist at Alder Hey.

Tom’s Trust is the UK's only charity dedicated to providing mental health support to children, with brain and other central nervous system tumours, and their families. Tom’s Trust clinical psychologists support hundreds of children, and thousands of families, within hospitals in the East, Thames Valley, North-East and North-West, helping children from diagnosis, through their brutal treatment and as they return to life at home. To find out more about the charity's work through the Tom’s Trust website.